


Tuesday

by prettybirdy979



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Gen, Spoilers, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-03
Updated: 2013-07-03
Packaged: 2017-12-17 13:56:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/868312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettybirdy979/pseuds/prettybirdy979
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if the end of the Star Trek Into Darkness went a different way?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tuesday

**Author's Note:**

> This is angsty. This is not happy. 
> 
> This is also my 50th work here so it seems fitting.

They buried him on a Tuesday.

Not any particular Tuesday, just another ordinary day. It didn’t have the decency to rain but neither was it clear and bright like the smiles he once offered anyone who would take them.

It was a large funeral, televised to all corners of federation space. Everyone of any importance came to honour the man who was both the son of a hero and the hero of two crises; the brave man whose final act was to give his life for his crew. These officials gave speeches, some of them unmistakably for sound bites and propaganda while others were more personal and showed they actually knew the man beyond what the official reports said of him. Uhura spoke for the crew at the crew’s request, her being the best with words.

The crew originally picked Spock. He refused.

Uhura’s speech was short. ‘Jim Kirk had many faults. I would run out of time if I stood here and tried to list them. I’m sure you’re aware of at least half of them. But despite that, Jim was a decent man who always had a answer. Sometimes it was even the right one. He cared, no matter how unlikely it seemed. He was a good captain. He was ours. We will miss him.’ She paused by the coffin as she walked back to her seat and planted a small kiss on her hand, which she then touched to it.

Bones was the last to speak, though he spoke for himself. He didn’t say anything at first, just stared at the coffin. After five minutes he looked up and glared at the gathered people.

‘I ain’t got any fancy words to offer you. Jim Kirk was my friend. Jim Kirk was my captain. He might have saved your lives but I’ll swear to God that’s not why he did it. He did it because he was a cocky bastard who didn’t understand the concept of safety and I wish to God he had managed one last bit of luck so I didn’t have to stand here and watch you mourn a man you never knew.’

He stormed off and no one noticed when another pointy eared figure standing at the back left after him.

Across space, on a planet now called New Vulcan, an elder watched the funeral and tried not to feel even more empty at a lost he had already felt

********

The admiralty gave Spock the Enterprise. They sent her on the five year mission Jim had so desperately wanted. When he received the orders Spock had tried not to feel.

When he found himself by Jim’s grave, reading the orders to a stone, he knew he had failed. He read the orders anyway.

Spock was surprised when the list of crew had very few changes and included one grumpy CMO. Curiosity warred with the illogic of trying to understand human motivation and curiosity won out. Spock tracked the doctor down.

He found him in a bar, squishing a drink around.

‘I do not understand.’ He said as a greeting.

‘You don’t understand a lot of things Spock. What specifically don’t you get?’ Bones growled but didn’t take a drink.

‘Your return to the Enterprise. I am aware you have a dislike of space and expected you to accept a different assignment now the reason for your space travel is gone.’

Bones turned his impressive glare on Spock. ‘You mean now Jim is dead? Say what you mean, you bastard.’

Spock opened his mouth to reply, reconsidered and then looked away from the pain in the doctor’s eyes. ‘I do not see the logic in using the phrase you used when other words can convey the same meaning.’

Bones’ glare softened a degree. ‘Yeah, me either. But if I don’t say it, it feels like he’s going to walk in the door in a moment. Even then...’ He shook his head. ‘I’m going to space because he wanted me to. Because he died on that ship and he was all I had left. I’m going to protect what he wanted to protect and I can’t very well do that from down here, can I?’

‘That is illogical.’

‘I know Spock.’

‘But I understand.’

********

Bones visited Jim’s grave the day before they left on their mission. He didn’t say a word, just poured half a bottle of Jim’s favourite brandy over the grave and sat and stared at the rest like it held answers.

He took a small sample of the dirt from the grave with him when he left. It seemed fitting.

********

Life went on.

But it didn’t move on.

How could it when everything had changed?


End file.
